I see that some posters have shot on the range at the NRA Headquarters in VA. How is it to shoot there? Is it difficult to get a spot? How is the range design? How much does it cost to book an hour of range time? Discounts for NRA members?

I plan to get there someday and am curious about it.

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"To disarm the people (is) the best & most effectual way to enslave them." George Mason.

Its very pleasant to shoot there. Well ventilated, clean, good distance, nice equipment, and the people are nice. Some nights I have to wait about 30 minutes for a spot, most you get a spot immediately. Then again, I shoot Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Sundays.

It is 12 lanes, out to 50 yards. Rolling tables, not fixed. Electronic control of target trolley. I don't know if they've fully implemented friend/edge/foe programming yet, but I believe that it is going to be soon if it is not. Time is 12$ for the first person, 8$ for a second person on a lane. You have to be a member to shoot there or a guest of a member. One guest per member. Non-members not sharing a lane as a guest of a member are 15$/hour. However, I've only been told my time is up once on a very very busy night.

I've been there many many times and the personnel are almost without exception first class and helpful. Ed Wages who runs the place couldn't be nicer or more knowledgeable and his people try to emulate his behavior.

Last Friday was the single exception to the above. However, they were severely understaffed on that day. One experienced person and one apparently learning the ropes. I think they were getting stressed out by the unexpected crowd. Still they were relatively cool and all worked out in the end. It was one of the rare occasions when they asked us to wrap it up after about an hour and 10 minutes or so since there was a waiting list. You can usually shoot for 1 1/2 or 2 hours if you wish if no one is waiting.

Geoff, I don't think it was you, you're too easy going to cause problems. What did the young lady do or say that rubbed you the wrong way?

Mike, the two young men were getting a little flustered just before you came, but they were in no way impolite. Even when one of them asked you not to handle your guns in the range shop, he wasn't overbearing or rude. He was just pointing out the rule as he knew it. I didn't have a problem with them at all.

Time is 12$ for the first person, 8$ for a second person on a lane. You have to be a member to shoot there or a guest of a member.

You have to be a member and it still costs money to use the range? Is that right?
What does your membership buy?
The place I shoot cost's about 100/year and the range time is free and unlimited.
I'm sure that I must have missed something in this thread.....
Mike

edited to add:
Wait, I think I get it. You have to be an "NRA" member to shoot. Is that right?

They do have 1 year and 6 month memberships at the range. If you shoot a lot, it's well worth it to go that route, doesn't take long to break even and then you shoot for free, so to speak. It used to be in the $200 /yr range, but it is probably higher now. I've moved out of the area and only go there now when there is a TFL shoot so I haven't gotten a yearly rate in a while.

Uh uh! I put 6 shots in the revolver. It's just that one of them had been pre-tested for proper function. But you did see for yourself what you were doing. No guesswork required. (And Geoff and I didn't laugh, we only smiled a little.)

I agree about the negative effect of the baffles. I could feel the blast when you fired when I was standing behind you.

Just don't go there on Tuesday - the range is closed to the public on that day. I know - I was there last Tuesday ! Had a great tour of the museum, though, and that alone was worth the side trip from our DC excursion.

What was REALLY cool was that my Utah CCW was valid in VA! Outside the beltway, I was "normal"!

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